Necropolis
by IAmTheBadWolf315
Summary: Post season 8 comics. The world knows about vampires, and , for twenty years were able to coexist with them , Then five years ago, a group called The Order rose. They brutally murdered those they blamed for the fall of humanity; culminating in the murder of Buffy Summers and her daughter. Then, they fell silent. Five years later, they've claimed another victim, Rupert Giles.
1. Prologue

This work takes alot from the Buffy season eight comics, along with the Angel and Faith series. Buffy season nine is largely ignored because this writer is not a fan. If you haven't read the comics, you can still read this ( and please do) you just need to know a few things.

1. Angel got possessed by an evil entity called Twilight ( insert giggles here)  
2. This lead to him and Buffy having sex, alot, like an entire issue full of it. Not a joke. They did it in space.  
3. Twilight Angel killed Giles  
4. Faith and Angel went on a quest to bring Giles back...  
5. They succeeded , with the Help of Giles's hilarious( and eternally young) Aunts but...  
6. Giles returned in the body of his teenage self.  
7. Harmony got a reality show in which she outed the existence of vampires and slayers to the general public.  
8. Early in season 9 Buffy had a pregnancy scare.  
9. Dracula made several reapperances, helping Buffy and still being all up on Xander  
10. Dawn and Xander hooked up. As in dating.  
11. Faith denies it, but Giles's aunts were convinced that her and Giles had a fling.  
(Anything else can be found here wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_Season_Eight  
and here wiki/Angel_%26_Faith)This work takes alot from the Buffy season eight comics, along with the Angel and Faith series. Buffy season nine is largely ignored because this writer is not a fan. If you haven't read the comics, you can still read this ( and please do) you just need to know a few things.

1. Angel got possessed by an evil entity called Twilight ( insert giggles here)  
2. This lead to him and Buffy having sex, alot, like an entire issue full of it. Not a joke. They did it in space.  
3. Twilight Angel killed Giles  
4. Faith and Angel went on a quest to bring Giles back...  
5. They succeeded , with the Help of Giles's hilarious( and eternally young) Aunts but...  
6. Giles returned in the body of his teenage self.  
7. Harmony got a reality show in which she outed the existence of vampires and slayers to the general public.  
8. Early in season 9 Buffy had a pregnancy scare.  
9. Dracula made several reapperances, helping Buffy and still being all up on Xander  
10. Dawn and Xander hooked up. As in dating.  
11. Faith denies it, but Giles's aunts were convinced that her and Giles had a fling.  
(Anything else can be found here wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_Season_Eight  
and here wiki/Angel_%26_Faith)

London, England 2034

"To Giles." Aiden said, clinking his glass against Liam's. "To Anne." he countered, raising the glass to his lips. There was a pause as he felt the slow burn in his throat. "God, I hate London." Aiden's eyes shifted over. "That's not surprising I mean, considering. " Liam said nothing for several minutes, and when he did, it was so soft that, if it weren't for his enhanced hearing, Aiden wouldn't have caught. "She would have loved this place. Hole in the wall, questionable clientele...it would be right up her ally."

He stared morosely at his empty glass and signaled the bartender for another. "You know I always thought that when one of us died, the other one would know it, you know. You hear all these stories about twins and how they are so in tune and considering our parents you would think that we would've- you know, when we were little if one of us so much as got a scratch the other would bruise? I couldn't stub my toe without her knowing it and yet she could just go and...fuck." He downed another shot. "I knew she was hurting , I knew-knew she wanted to do something but if I thought for one minute she was going to go after them on her own I would have never, never left her here."

The conversation wasn't a new one. In the early days after the death of his sister, Liam had ranted angrily by day at the sister who had left them, who had willfully put herself in harms way, who had stupidly gotten killed. The nights were a different story, one in which he begged for some sort of absolution, the knowledge that there was nothing he could have done differently , nothing that would have kept her alive. Nights like this made Aiden think that there was a part of Liam that still held himself accountable for his sister's death.

He wasn't.

"I know." Aiden laid a hand on the other man's shoulder. "None of us knew." "I should have. " With his shoulder's hunched and his eyes turning the shade of amber that betrayed his vampire heritage, Liam, Aiden thought, never looked more like his father.

Aiden hated it.

Angel had lived centuries to earn the haunted look that marred his handsome features. Liam was barely twenty-four. Aiden reached up a hand to stroke his cheek. "C'mon, if we're lucky maybe we'll find an unregistered Syn Demon running around,they're fairly common around here and I know they're your brunette nodded wordlessly and stood up, leaving a wad of cash on the counter.  
_

"As we approach the twenty- fifth anniversary of The Great Revelation, we mourn the passing of one who was at the frontlines. Rupert Giles , the watcher of the Last traditionally called Slayer, Buffy Summers, died in his home yesterday at the age of-"  
AJ flipped off the television and absentmindedly rolled the stem of her wine glass between her fingers. The mixture of blood and wine would be seen as disgusting to those of the human variety but, she hadn't been human in a very long time. "Are you certain they were the ones who did it?" Dracula's voice broke through her reverie. "I mean, he wasn't exactly in the safest line of work." His tone patronizing, "and watchers aren't particularly high on the list of targets for-" "They would have considered him an enabler." Drusillia interrupted. "His Slayer was the first one to get involved with a campire, and Buffy was the indirect cause of our existe being discovered in the first place. Buffy's dead, her daugher's dead, and Angel and her son are too far undergroundfor them to touch. With the twenty -five year mark of the 'Great Revelation' coming up in wouldn't surprise me in the least if they killed him as some form of sick anniversary marker."

"Or to draw out the real target." Spike raised his head. "Look, all I'm saying is...Rupert was important to all the members of Buffy's little Scooby Gang, and their families. I guarantee you that if foul play is so much as hinted at Angel, his son , and anyone who is left of the old gang will be making their way here, all at once, just in time to commemorate the event." There was a pause. "It is... elegant, " Drusillia agreed, "Gives them a chance to off every big player off their list in one swoop, especially considering-" "That you three are already here?" AJ finished, the conversation finally turning to the part she'd been waiting for. "Each of you were connected to Buffy, it stands to reason that you're on their hit list. Some of you, " she eyed Spike wearily "more than others."

"We still don't have proof that his death was anything more than typical demon violence , and you're all talking as though there is a conspiracy-" AJ slid a file across to stop Dracula's retort. "Rupert Giles's autopsy report. " She said flatly. "we got it this morning, if you'll turn to page three, I think you find that his death wasn't some vicious attack. Thus was cleaned, mehtodical, and they left their calling card."

Dracula's expression didn't change, but his tone. "Where did you get this?" AJ shared a guilty look with Spike. "It was..." "Faith," Spike answered, "She brought it by here this morning." Dracula's eyes raised in surprise. "The other slayer I didn't realize the two of you still kept in touch." " We hadn't a while but-" "Then why come to you with this?" "Because, she knew we'd do what ever it took to avenge him." AJ interrupted. "Angel might be good at tracking down the bad guys but, when it comes to humans, guy wouldn't even kill the guy who took out his own wife. She knows the rest of us aren't quite as ...forgiving."Her eyes flicked to the report. "Still having doubts as to who killed him?" Dracula shook his head. "The Brotherhood's resurfaced." AJ nodded. "So the question now is, what are we going to do about it?"


	2. And Rhyme and Reveal With the Dead

"You're lucky black suits you, it always made me look terribly washed out." Faith raised her head slowly, catching the reflection of the women speaking in the vanity mirror. "What do you want Sophie?" Her voice was tired. Funerals took alot out of a person. "To talk." Not bothering to wait for an invitation, she sat down at the foot of Faith's bed. "I know it isn't the best time but..." "It's never going to be the right time." Faith finished, rubbing her temple. "Go ahead."

"I wanted to know what your plans are now that... now that Rupert's dead; you can't run the school on your own and." "Pierce is taking over his father's place." Faith interrupted. "Pierce?" Sophie questioned. Faith nodded. "He's been helping us for years, Giles taught him everything he knew. I couldn't ask for more." Sophie pursed her lips but said nothing. "What?" Faith asked. Silence. "Look, if you have something to say just do it, I'm not in the mood for guessing games."

"Five years ago, after Anne died, you told me you were worried that Pierce was becoming too much like his father, throwing himself into work, not taking time to he takes over his father's positions, training these young slayers and watchers,spending countless hour going over fighting maneuvers and codes of conduct, how it that any different?"

Faith stood up. "It isn't. It's exactly the same only now, he's father isn't here for him to relate to." She shook her head. "but I can't do anything about it." "He's your son." Sophie argued, "He's his father's son." Faith answered. "He's one-hundred percent Giles through and through. I wished he'd takes some time to work through this but...he acts just like his father and he's as stubborn as I am. What can I do?"

"You look like hell." a pair of blue eyes flicked up from a stack of papers to peer at the person sitting across from them. "You're one to smell like a bar." Aiden grinned sheepishly. "Liam and I went out for a few drinks we would have invited you but didn't think it was quite your ...speed" he finished as Pierce stood up and began sorting the papers methodically in the filing cabinet. "You know, I'm pretty sure no one would blame you if you didn't work the night after your father's funeral. I'm sure it can wait." He winced at the sound of Pierce slamming the filing cabinet.

"Aiden," Pierce took in a deep breath. "I appreciate the thought but I've got a lot to do here so if you don't mind-" "He doesn't mind, but I do." Liam leaned against the door frame smirking. "Christ Pierce, I haven't seen your eyes this bloodshot since you're eighteenth birthday, and this time you don't even have the beer pong and Edward 40 hands excuse." His words were light but his tone betrayed a hint of worry. "Jesus, when was the last time you slept?"

Pierce rubbed his eyes, "It's been a rough week and the school opens back Monday, so as nice as the catch-up has been, I really need to-" Liam clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Not a chance. Tonight, you're going to relax." He pulled out a bottle of whiskey, "even if it kills you." Then he winced. "Poor phrasing, drink?"  
_

Three hours, and some cleverly improvised shot glasses later, Pierce leaned his head against the wall from his spot on the floor. 'God, I can't tell you the last time I did something like this. " He smiled ruefully, "So much for getting any actual work done." Liam snorted. "There was a time when you wouldn't be caught dead with all this bureaucratic bullshit." Pierce's shoulders tensed, "We all have to grow up sometime, Lee." He moved to stand, but Liam's voice stopped him. "Bullshit." "Liam," Aiden's voice warned,"This really isn't the-" "No," Liam's voice stopped him, "this is exactly the right time. You know, I get why you stopped fighting after she died, things became a little to real, didn't they, you got scared, you-" "Don't you dare,' Pierce seethed. "Oh I dare," the two were standing face to face. "Do you think she would be proud of you, sitting here with your books and your paperwork while the rest of us are out their fighting? Do you think my sister could stand being with some coward who-" The lightening fast punch caught Liam off-guard and he staggered backwards. When he righted himself, it wasn't with anger, but with a laugh. "Now that's more like it." He rubbed his jaw. "You know, for someone who's been behind a desk for the past five years, you still pack quite a punch; think you might've cracked something in there."Pierce let out a slow sigh, "Liam-" "No," he interrupted, "I probably deserved that." "You did deserve it," A ghost of smile crossed Pierce's face, "doesn't mean I should have done it."

"Time was, you'd have kicked my ass for less, you mellowed in your old age." Pierce shook his head. "I meant what I said Lee, I grew-up. Sooner or later, I would have had to give up being out there fighting on the front lines. Unlike you two, I-" He chuckled bitterly, "I'm only human. It wasn't cowardice that kept me from going after Te Order after Anne-" He clenched his jaw. "After your mom died, I saw the woman I love become so consumed with hate and the need for vengeance that I barely recognized her. She went on a path that I didn't follow and I lost her. I didn't want to end up like that, I didn't want my parents burying me, I didn't want to become someone that I couldn't live with. I wouldn't call that cowardly."

"And now?" Liam asked. "The same people that killed her and mom killed your dad. I bet right now you're wishing you'd been with me and Aiden when we went after some of those bastards after she died." Pierce, shook his head. "Fat lot of good that did you. No, I don't wish I been with you. I just wish that when Anne decided to go on her crusade she'd have let me in; and I wish to God that I'd have been brave enough to have helped her." "You and me both , buddy." Liam sighed, "You and me both."

"Killing them won't bring them back, you know." Pierce said, a hint of warning in his voice. "No, " Liam said, "But you have to admit, it would make you feel better." "Yea." Pierce said, his thought drifting to his father sitting at that desk the day he brought in a brown eyed girl, a new ring sparkling on her hand. He took the final swig from the bottle. "A hell of a lot better."

Notes: Chapter title taken from Lord Byron's Lines Inscribed upon a Cup formed from a Skull , which can be found here : . /prmMID/23195 Sophie is the name of one of Giles's two aunts.

Hi guys, so this part of my nanowrimo project this year, it's un-betaed at this point since I'm in the push to write it all out, so I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammatical errors.


	3. Sweeter than to Wake

Pierce awoke to a light nibble at his ear. He blinked as he stared at the clock. "You're up early." "I was thinking," she answered. "About?" he asked, voice still groggy. "About Alaska." She moved to straddle him, her dark hair cascading over her face. "Alaska?" "Ummmhumm," She traced a pattern across Pierce's chest, " and how it could be the perfect place for a honeymoon." He raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly my first thought when thinking about Alaska but alright." She laughed, "It's dark for thirty day straight; I'd be free to roam around all day without that pesky sunlight getting in the way. It'd be a dream." He sat up and kissed her then, slowly, deeply, before pressing his forehead against her's. "You're a dream." She smiled a pressed her lips against his ear. "You're right. and now it's time for you to-"

"Wake-up , Pierce" His eyes opened to the sight of a young blonde snapping fingers in his face. "Caroline?" He blinked "Wha-" he glanced around at his surroundings. "Why am I in my office floor?" "You tell me." She picked up the empty whiskey bottle laying in the corner. "I'm guessing this probably has something to do with it though, my God, did you drink all of this yourself?" "Only about a third of it." He stood up unsteadily, popping his neck as he did."What time is it." "Little after noon." She answered, "I saw you in here a couple hours ago but,I thought you needed the rest." Pierce smiled ruefully, "You weren't wrong." He yawned. "What did you need?"  
"All hell is breaking loose downstairs." He glanced over, slightly alarmed, 'Did something happen to one of the students or-" "No," She cut him off, "The students are all fine, no one's been injured...yet." Pierce crinkled his brow. "That doesn't sound too promising." "It's your mother. Her and Angel have been at each other's throat for the past half hour and-" He cut her off with a kiss to her check; a nagging feeling of guilt tugging at him from the lingering remnants of the dream. "I've got it." He paused for a moment to check his appearance in the mirror before heading out the door, Caroline trailing behind.

The Watcher's Council Headquarters and training academy of Pierce's day was vastly different than the one his father and grandmother had attended. Then, the dorms had been small, educating on a few handfuls of future Watchers each year. Now the school was brimming with future Watchers, Slayers, and -more than a few- dhampire's. On a typical day, the halls Pierce walked to get to the boardroom would be teaming with students;but with the school closed for the remainder of the week in memorium of Giles's death, the corridors were eerily silent. At least until he reached to door.

"- believe you called Spike into this." That was Angel's voice echoing through the hallway. Pierce saw Aiden and Liam leaning against the doorway. Pierce frowned, "What's Spike got to do with any of this?" "Apparently," Liam answered, "Your mother, has involved Spike and his little posse in this." He shrugged. "I'm not sure of all the details but about thirty minutes ago, Spike show up with Dru, Dracula, and, the uh- pretty one" "AJ" Aiden scowled. . "Right,AJ,anyway,Liam continued,"They showed up,dad saw them,went in there, and they've been holed ever since." Pierce glanced back and fourth between them. "And you two just...stood out here?" Liam held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, you wanna go in there and get involved in my dad and Spike's vampire turf wars with guest appearances by your mother, be my guest. Those of us who value our lives...we'll stay here."  
Pierce rolled his eyes. "Good to know the fate of the world rest on the shoulders of guys like you. He glanced back where Caroline was lingering. "Wish me luck, I'm going in." She offered him a small smile. "Good luck." He took in one last deep breath before pushing the door open.

Silence fell almost immediately when he entered, not something Pierce read as a good sign. In the middle of the room he saw his mother; at the age of forty-seven, Faith Lehane was no less intimidating the she had been in years past, and Pierce had no jealousy for the man standing across from her. Angel was clearly agitated and, by now, probably more physically capable than the aging slayer' but- when it came to a battle of the wills- Pierce's bet firmly with his mother. And she wasn't alone.

Standing on her side, and there was a clear division between her and Angel, were his two aunts, along with Spike and the other three vampires that made up his "family." Drusilla, Pierce knew, had been found by Spike roaming the streets of London soon after the mandatory Re-ensoulation procedures had gone into effect. Pierce had never known the Drusillia he'd studied in the Watcher's histories, the mad demoness who had killed with gleeful abandon and childlike sensibilities. Living with the guilt of what one had done was difficult enough for the average vampire, but for one with a damaged psyche such as she had, the result had been disastrous. And so, just as he always had, Spike cared for her. Decades later, much of her insanity had subsided or, at the very least, was carefully managed, though there was something about her that had never ceased to unnerve Pierce the few times he'd been in the position work work with her. He wasn't sure if it was because he knew the horrors she'd committed or if it was because he knew she could read every thought he'd ever had.

He wasn't sure when Dracula had joined, only that, by the time he was old enough to remember, the older vampire had been an established presence with the other trio had always struck Pierce as odd, Spike and Dracula had never been on the best of terms, some long dead feud that's beginnings had been left undocumented, and Dracula, unlike most vampires, was notorious for being a loner. Vampires by nature were pack creatures, preferring to hunt in groups not only for necessity but also for companionship. Watchers had theorized the why of that for years, some arguing it was remnants of humanity, while others hypothesized that the demon themselves craved comrades. Of course, Dracula had never been like other vampires, how could he be?

Anne had thought it was a mixture of boredom and loneliness that had drawn Dracula to the two. Once, he had formed a perculier sort of attachment to Xander Harris though Xander and Dawn's determination to separate their lives from the supernatural had cooled their relationship. And, she would remind them, like Angel, Spike, Drusillia and ( by extension) herself and Liam, Dracula was an Aurelian. A member of the ever dwindling Aurelian clan. Blood, she would remark with a grin, was a bigger draw to vampires than sex. Though, like her brother, she wouldn't rule out the theory of vampire orgies; she'd heard far too many stories about her dad in the 'old days.'

Then there was AJ, the youngest of the group, having appeared, with not explanation from the others several years ago. Liam, Pierce reflected wrly, was right, she was lovely. In another life, in her human life, she could have easily been an athlete or perhaps a model with her dark hair and large blue eyes. For all he knew, she easily could have been, he didn't know that she ever mentioned her human life. He could, if he were inclined, probably find out who she'd been. All of the ensouled vampires in the country were registered and she definitely wasn't one of the savage renegades that still roamed the streets, though mercifully there were fewer of the each year. he watched as she laid a hand lightly on Spike's arm. He was certain Spike had sired her, though it could have been any one of the three. Her and Spike were lovers, that much he was sure of, as uncertain as he was about the relationship the rest shared. They acted far too much like humans who were involved for Pierce not to pick up on it, even with the brief time he spent around them. In generally he only saw the four when there was a need for the Watchers to join with them, a supernatural crime or occurrence that neither group could solve independently.

His aunts, of course, were a given to be there. If his mother was stirring up trouble, and it seemed that she was,Sophie and Laivinia were bound to be involved. The two ageless witches were never ones to simply accept and move forward from a situation they didn't find agreeable, it was part of the reason they refused to age. They also weren't ones for keeping secrets which ment one of two things. Either this little meeting was sprung on them last minute...or his mother had made certain the two were too terrified to tell him.

By comparison, Angel's side of the room was sparsely populated, containing only himself, Connor, Xander, and Dawn. Xander and Dawn were only there for his father's funeral. He half expected to see their daughter standing about, before remembering how hard the two struggled to keep her as far from any matters in the demon world as possible. Not that he could blame them, at least not entirely. Xander was after all, only human and Dawn, for all her mystical orgins, had no abilities outside the mortal world. Pierce knew that Anne and Liam had considered it wildly irresponsible for them not to have had the girl trained in anything but the most basic defense methods; but he could see their point. If she knew how to fight the vampires, there was always the chance she would seek them seldom left his father's side these days. Angel, always the protective father, had become moreso since the death of Buffy and his daughter, keeping his remaining children as close as possible. Connor, had accepted his father's protection. Liam, had not.

Pierce stepped futher into the room, it was obvious, judging by his mother's expressions and the active silence, that whatever was going on in here was not meant for his ears. "Anyone care to tell me what's going on?" "Well isn't it obvious?" Lavinia answered, her voice entirely too nonchalant. "We're going to commit murder."

(( Reviews feed me, please, give them to me. I know the pacing in this is a bit slow, but this chapter had the last of the character introducations, save one. So now, actual plot can begin to develop. I've tried to casually infro dump some things about the character's world in here to save room for plot plot plot later, so just bear with me. :) ))


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